After six seasons with the New York Jets, Rex Ryan is probably going to be looking for a new coaching job next season as all rumors and sources suggest he’ll be fired by Woody Johnson, although a minority is suggesting that it’ll be the new general manager that gets to decide on the identity of the new head coach or maybe keeping the old one.
Ryan, agreed by everyone as an excellent defensive coach, crashed to his worst season since taking the HC position with the Jets, finishing it at 4-12 with a defense that was downgraded and an offense that most of the time looked between bad and pathetic with Geno Smith being unable to show any kind of progress in his second year as a starting quarterback in the NFL. It meant a fourth straight season out of the playoffs for Ryan and the Jets and also a fourth without a winning record.
Rex Ryan has been ready for the official announcement for quite some time, clearing out his desk at Jets HQ this week. It is expect that along with John Idzik, he’ll be let go very soon, maybe even a day after the final regular season game, a 37-24 win over the Miami Dolphins, but there still hasn’t been an official word from owner Woody Johnson. Maybe eventually he’ll just fire Idzik and let the new general manager make the call about Ryan.
Ryan, a defensive coordinator for most of his career in college and the pros before taking on the Jets’ head coaching job in 2009, isn’t planning on getting downgraded. In the press conference following the win over the Dolphins, he kept repeating that he isn’t afraid of what comes now, which makes us feel like he is bracing himself to take the full brunt of the blow, which he has been expecting for quite some time, considering how quickly this season went from bad to worse.
Ryan made the playoffs with the Jets during his first two seasons with the team, as Mark Sanchez enjoyed better days as a young quarterback in this league. Running a very conservative offense backed by one of the best defenses in the league, Ryan led the Jets to the AFC Championship game twice in a row, twice losing to the eventual Super Bowl runner up teams – the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers a year later.
Right now it’s hard to say who is coming in his place, if he actually goes. There are quite a few teams that are looking for new head coaches, and the list of available names isn’t that impressive. This means a possible dive into the college ranks, which is always a gamble, but can also come up with some surprising names. Ryan himself might head back to college if the right job comes along, but for now he’s waiting for a decision he seems to be quite sure of will mean the end of his six year tenure with the Jets, going 46-50 during that time.
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